Most of Ocean Ridge was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1945 on, and the census since 1940.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ocean Ridge is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ocean Ridge’s overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ocean Ridge’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (33% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Ocean Ridge’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the barrier island now known as Ocean Ridge was inhabited by the Jaega people. Archaeological evidence indicates that the area near the current Boynton Inlet supported significant shell mounds and middens constructed by indigenous inhabitants. These high points on the coastal ridge served as ceremonial sites and lookouts over the Atlantic Ocean and the Lake Worth Lagoon.
During the Florida land boom of the early 20th century, these coastal mounds were largely destroyed. The shell and sand material from the ancient mounds was excavated and leveled to grade the land for development in Ocean Ridge.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Ocean Ridge is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Ocean Ridge?
0.9% of Ocean Ridge’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1974.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
![Florida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]](https://images.townratings.com/story/2098/7ecf3d06768b09976e04-s.jpg)
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![Florida [Hamilton County - Sarasota County (part)]](https://images.townratings.com/story/2098/7ecf3d06768b09976e04-l.jpg)
